Dreams Come True

by Linda Chapman

  Lauren gasped in delight as she saw the two tiny black kittens snuggled into their mother’s side. Sparkle had made a nest in a pile of loose hay at the back of the barn and the two kittens were sleeping beside her.

  ‘What have you called them?’ Lauren asked in a low voice.

  ‘Star and Midnight,’ Mel whispered back. ‘Mum and Dad have said I can keep them both.’

  As they walked back down the path towards the paddock and the farmhouse, Mel turned to Lauren. ‘You know, you should join Pony Club too. We have mounted and unmounted meetings every month, competitions and there’s even a camp in the summer!’

  Lauren hesitated, thinking about the two girls who had been mean to Mel.

  Mel seemed to read her mind. ‘It’s only Jade and Monica who are like that,’ she said. ‘The others in my group are really nice.’

  ‘OK then,’ Lauren agreed. ‘I’ll ask.’

  ‘You two look like you’ve been having fun,’ Mr Foster said, as Lauren and Mel ran into the large kitchen. He and Mr Cassidy were sitting at the table, having coffee.

  ‘We have!’ Lauren exclaimed. ‘We went riding and then Mel showed me round, and she wants to know if I can join her Pony Club.’ She looked at Mel, who nodded eagerly.

  ‘We could go to the meetings together. It would be cool!’ Lauren added. ‘Can I join, Dad?’

  Mr Foster smiled. ‘It sounds like a great idea.’

  ‘I’ve got the secretary’s number somewhere here,’ Mr Cassidy said, getting up and rummaging through a pile of papers by the telephone. ‘Yes, here we are.’ He wrote it down on a piece of paper and handed it to Mr Foster. ‘It’s a good Pony Club. The kids learn a lot there. There’s a mounted meeting next weekend. Lauren and Twilight are very welcome to have a ride there in our trailer.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Mr Foster, taking the paper from him. ‘I’ll ring the secretary when we get home.’

  Lauren and Mel exchanged delighted looks.

  ‘I’m so glad you’ve moved here,’ Mel said, as Lauren got back on Twilight to ride home.

  ‘Me too,’ Lauren said, grinning at her.

  ‘Come on, then,’ Mr Foster said, patting Twilight’s neck. ‘Let’s go.’

  Mel ran along the driveway with them. ‘I’ll see you at school tomorrow,’ she called, as Lauren rode out of the drive.

  ‘So do you like Mel, then?’ Mr Foster said to Lauren, as they walked along the road.

  ‘Yeah!’ Lauren said. ‘She’s lots of fun.’ She stroked Twilight’s neck. She couldn’t stop thinking about Shadow’s jumping problem. She really wanted to be able to help. But how?

  Maybe Twilight will know, she thought.

  Three

  After supper, Lauren pulled on her trainers. The sun had just set and she was anxious to get moving. ‘I’m just going to check on Twilight,’ she said to her mum.

  ‘OK, honey,’ Mrs Foster said. ‘But don’t be out for too long. Remember you’ve got school starting tomorrow.’

  Buddy ran to the door and stood there, his head cocked on one side.

  ‘You’re not coming with me, Buddy,’ Lauren told him. She went outside, shutting the door carefully behind her, and hurried down the path to the paddock. Would Twilight be able to think of a way to help Shadow?

  Twilight whickered when he saw her. Lauren began to say the words of the Turning Spell:

  Twilight Star, Twilight Star…

  Suddenly Twilight whinnied loudly.

  Lauren stopped. He seemed to be staring at something over her shoulder. She swung round to see what it was.

  Buddy was standing on the path behind her.

  ‘Buddy! Go away!’ Lauren exclaimed. Buddy was curious enough about Twilight already. If he saw Twilight change into a unicorn, he would never leave him alone. She took hold of the puppy’s collar.

  ‘Buddy!’ she heard her dad shouting.

  ‘He’s here, Dad!’ Lauren called back.

  Mr Foster came down the path. ‘I only opened the door for a second. Buddy just raced off after you. Come on, fella,’ he said, taking hold of the puppy’s collar. ‘You come in with me.’

  Lauren waited until she heard the door of the house shut and then she whispered the secret words.

  There was a purple flash and suddenly Twilight was standing before her, a snow-white unicorn once again.

  ‘That was close,’ he said.

  ‘I know,’ Lauren said, feeling worried. ‘I’m going to have to be so careful. Buddy’s far too interested in you.’ Suddenly she remembered what she’d been going to ask Twilight. ‘Do you know why Shadow won’t jump? Mel’s really upset about it.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Twilight admitted. He pawed the grass. ‘But we could visit him and find out.’

  ‘Now?’ Lauren said, looking at the sky. It still wasn’t properly dark yet. ‘But what if Mel or her parents see us?’

  ‘We could go later then,’ Twilight said.

  Lauren hesitated. ‘Well, I guess I could come just after I go to bed,’ she said. ‘Mum’s writing a new book so she’ll be working on her computer and Dad’s bound to be watching TV. But I won’t be able to stay out long.’

  ‘We’ll be quick,’ Twilight promised.

  ‘All right then,’ Lauren agreed. ‘I’ll come back as soon as I can.’ She said the Undoing Spell, turning Twilight back into a pony, and hurried back to the house.

  After her mum had said goodnight and gone into her study to work, Lauren pulled her jeans on over her pyjamas and scribbled a quick note for her parents just in case they came to check on her and were worried.

  I’ll be back soon. I’ve just gone to see Twilight.

  Lots of love, Lauren XXX

  Leaving it on her bed, she crept down the stairs and out of the house.

  I’ll be back as quickly as I can, she told herself as she hurried down to the paddock.

  It only took a few seconds to change Twilight into a unicorn. ‘Quick!’ Lauren said. She scrambled on to his back. ‘Let’s go!’

  They swooped down on Shadow’s paddock at Goose Creek Farm. ‘There he is!’ Lauren said, spotting the dark shape of Mel’s dapple-grey pony.

  Twilight landed with a soft whicker just behind him. Shadow swung round with an alarmed snort.

  Twilight whinnied and Lauren saw Shadow relax. He whinnied back as if he was talking to Twilight.

  ‘What’s he saying?’ Lauren asked Twilight.

  ‘That he knew I was a unicorn,’ Twilight said. ‘And he would like to know why we’ve come.’

  Lauren didn’t want to waste any time. ‘Ask him why he won’t jump,’ she said to Twilight.

  ‘He understands you,’ Twilight told her as Shadow whinnied in reply. Twilight listened to the dapple-grey pony for a few moments. ‘He’s scared,’ he told Lauren. ‘He says that when he was a foal, he was jumping over a tree trunk with the other foals in his field and he banged his legs really hard. Ever since then, he’s been afraid of jumping. He hates making Mel upset but he just can’t do it.’

  ‘Have you got any magical powers that could help him not to feel so scared, Twilight?’ Lauren asked.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Twilight replied doubtfully. ‘I know I’ve got some magical powers, but I’m not sure what they are. I guess I might be able to help, but I don’t know how.’

  Lauren felt disappointed. She’d been hoping that Twilight would be able to do some magic and make everything OK. She thought hard. If they couldn’t use Twilight’s powers to help Shadow then maybe she could come up with a more practical solution. ‘If I put the poles from the jumps on the ground do you think you might be able to walk over them?’ she asked Shadow.

  Shadow snorted.

  ‘He says he might,’ Twilight translated.

  ‘Well, that would be a start,’ Lauren said. She got off Twilight’s back and took two poles and laid them out on the grass. It’s lucky that Shadow’s paddock is hidden from the farmhouse, she thought.

  ‘Try walking over these,’ she said to Shadow. ‘
At least it’s a step towards jumping.’

  Shadow looked very nervous.

  ‘It’ll be OK,’ Twilight encouraged him.

  Shadow walked up to the first pole and stopped. Then, snorting loudly, he stepped over it, picking his hooves up high.

  ‘Well done!’ Lauren cried. ‘Now try the other one, Shadow.’

  The same thing happened.

  ‘You did it!’ Twilight exclaimed as Shadow trotted back to them, suddenly

  looking much happier.

  ‘I’ll put up a tiny jump now,’ Lauren said. ‘Let’s see if you can do that.’

  But Shadow backed off, whinnying.

  Twilight sighed. ‘He doesn’t want to. He’s still too frightened to try a jump.’ Shadow neighed. ‘If we can come and help him some more, he might get braver.’

  It was better than nothing. ‘OK, we’ll come again tomorrow,’ Lauren said. She gave Shadow a hug and then got back on to Twilight. ‘We’ll help you, Shadow. No matter how long it takes.’

  Four

  ‘Come on, Lauren!’ Mrs Foster called the next morning.

  Lauren checked her reflection for the last time in her bedroom mirror. She was wearing new jeans and a blue T-shirt. Her freshly washed hair was tied back in a ponytail. She swallowed nervously. Her first day at a new school. What was it going to be like?

  Taking a deep breath, she ran downstairs. Her mum and Max were waiting by the door.

  ‘Feeling nervous?’ Mrs Foster asked her.

  ‘A little,’ Lauren admitted, yawning.

  Her mum frowned. ‘Didn’t you sleep well last night?’

  ‘I’m fine, Mum,’ Lauren said quickly. She’d got back into the house safely after her adventure with Twilight and she didn’t want her mum getting suspicious now. She picked up her school bag. ‘Come on. Let’s go.’

  Silver River Elementary School was only a ten-minute drive away from Granger’s Farm. It was a low brick building. As

  Mrs Foster parked the car, Lauren saw Mel standing at the school gates. ‘There’s Mel!’ she exclaimed.

  She jumped out of the car and ran over. ‘Hi!’

  ‘Hi!’ Mel said. ‘I thought I’d wait for you.’

  Mrs Foster and Max walked up to them. ‘This is my mum and my brother, Max,’ Lauren said.

  ‘Pleased to meet you,’ Mel said politely. ‘I’m in the same class as Lauren, Mrs Foster. I can show her there if you want.’

  Mrs Foster looked questioningly at Lauren, who nodded. ‘Yeah, I’ll be fine, Mum,’ she said quickly.

  ‘Well, in that case,’ Mrs Foster said, ‘that would be a real help, Mel. It gives me more time to get Max settled into his classroom. I’ll stop by the office, Lauren, and tell them you’re here.’

  ‘Bye, Mum,’ said Lauren, giving her a quick kiss. ‘I’ll see you this afternoon.’

  Mrs Foster nodded. ‘I’ll pick you up here at the gates. Have a good day, honey.’

  ‘She will,’ Mel said, swinging her school bag on to her shoulder. ‘Come on, Lauren. I want to show you around.’

  By morning break, Lauren’s nerves had totally disappeared. Mr Noland, her new teacher, was strict but fun. Even better, he’d let her and Mel sit together. The other kids in the class seemed really keen to be friends too – all apart from Jade Roberts and her friend Monica Corder. They hadn’t said a word to Lauren or Mel, although they had giggled when Jade had leaned over Mel’s desk and caught sight of a horse that Mel had drawn.

  ‘Looks more like a pig than a horse,’ Jade had said to Monica.

  ‘Or a mule,’ Monica had said, flicking her blonde hair back.

  ‘Just like her dumb pony,’ Jade went on, her green eyes looking mockingly at Mel. ‘I mean, imagine having a dumb pony that won’t jump. How sad can you get?’

  ‘He’s not dumb!’ Lauren said angrily.

  Jade turned her full attention to her. ‘And what do you know about horses?’

  ‘Well, I’ve got one,’ Lauren said.

  ‘Lauren Foster?’ Jade said suddenly. ‘You’re the girl who owns Twilight, aren’t you?’ When Lauren nodded, Jade laughed. ‘How sad. I got my dad to sell him because he wasn’t good enough to win ribbons. My new pony, Prince, is a hundred times better.’

  Lauren glared at them but, before she could say anything, Mr Noland heard the whispering and told Jade and Monica to be quiet.

  Lauren was still fuming when the lesson came to an end.

  ‘Come on, Lauren!’ Mel said as they went outside. ‘Let’s go and sit under the tree. I’ve brought some photos of Shadow to show you.’

  ‘You know, I had an idea last night,’ Lauren said quickly, wanting to cheer her up. ‘I think Shadow might be scared of jumping… for some reason. We could try walking him over poles on the ground, then, as he gets braver, we could put up some tiny jumps.’

  Mel looked doubtful. ‘Do you really think it will work?’

  ‘I’m sure,’ Lauren said. ‘Look, why don’t I come over after school with Twilight and we can try then?’

  Her enthusiasm seemed to encourage Mel.

  ‘OK,’ she said eagerly. ‘Let’s do it.’

  Five

  ‘Should I try now?’ Mel said to Lauren later that afternoon. She was mounted on Shadow and nervously looking at the poles that she and Lauren had laid out on the grass.

  ‘Yes,’ Lauren said, patting Twilight. ‘Just trot him over them.’

  Mel turned Shadow towards the poles. The little dapple-grey pony glanced once at Twilight, and then trotted bravely over them.

  ‘He did it!’ Mel exclaimed in astonishment.

  ‘I told you!’ Lauren said. ‘Now try again.’

  So Mel did. By the time Shadow had trotted and cantered over the poles ten times, Mel was beaming from ear to ear. ‘Maybe I’ll be able to get him to jump in the end,’ she said. She got off Shadow and hugged him. ‘You’re such a good boy!’

  Shadow snorted and Lauren was sure that he looked pleased.

  After untacking the ponies and turning them out into Shadow’s paddock to graze, Lauren and Mel went up the path to see Sparkle and her two kittens in the barn.

  Star and Midnight were awake. They were toddling round the nest of hay, their heads looking almost too large for their fluffy black bodies.

  ‘Which one’s which?’ Lauren asked. They looked identical to her.

  ‘Star’s got a white star shape on her tummy,’ Mel explained. She picked up the kitten nearest her. ‘Look.’

  ‘Oh, yes!’ Lauren laughed, seeing the white hairs.

  ‘Do you want to hold her?’ Mel asked.

  Lauren nodded eagerly and Mel handed Star over. The little kitten looked

  into Lauren’s face and then miaowed, her mouth opening so wide that Lauren could see all the way to the back of her pink throat. ‘Hello,’ Lauren murmured. ‘Aren’t you lovely?’ Star cuddled into her arms.

  ‘Wasn’t Shadow good today?’ Mel said to Lauren as she picked up Midnight.

  ‘Yes, he was,’ Lauren said. ‘I’m sure he’ll learn to jump in the end.’

  ‘I hope so,’ said Mel. ‘I just wish he could learn in time for the meeting on Saturday. Jade and Monica are being so mean about him and the only thing that’s going to stop them is if he learns to jump.’ She looked at Lauren hopefully. ‘Do you think we might have him jumping soon?’

  ‘We might,’ Lauren said. ‘Fingers crossed.’

  As Lauren rode Twilight home, she couldn’t stop thinking about Mel’s words. Shadow might be able to learn to jump with help, but how long would that take? It might take ages and Mel would just continue to get teased.

  If only we could teach him to jump more quickly, Lauren thought.

  She remembered what Twilight had said about his powers – he had some but he didn’t know what they were. Maybe he did have some magic that could help. But how could they find out?

  And then the answer came to her. Mrs Fontana. Mrs Fontana was the only other person in the world who knew Twilight’s secret. Sh
e’d told Lauren that unicorns existed and had given Lauren an old book that contained the words of the Turning Spell. If anyone would be able to help, she would.

  As soon as she got home, Lauren ran into the house. Her mum was working on her computer.

  ‘Mum,’ Lauren said, ‘can you take me to Mrs Fontana’s bookshop?’

  Mrs Foster frowned. ‘Why?’

  Lauren didn’t know what to say. ‘I… I want to ask Mrs Fontana something,’ she said. ‘It’s for a project I’m doing. I thought Mrs Fontana might be able to help.’

  ‘Well, actually I was going to go into town,’ Mrs Foster said. ‘I need to get some film for the camera. Max wants to take some photos of Buddy to show to his teacher. You could go and see Mrs Fontana while I pick up the film.’

  ‘Great!’ Lauren said.

  ‘Get changed then,’ Mrs Foster said. ‘We’ll go right now.’

  Almost before Mrs Foster had parked, Lauren scrambled out of the car.

  ‘I’ll meet you there,’ Mrs Foster said. ‘Don’t go anywhere else.’

  ‘Don’t worry, I won’t,’ Lauren promised.

  She raced over to the bookshop with its brown and gold sign. A chime jangled as she pushed open the door. There was the familiar rose-patterned carpet on the floor and the air smelled faintly of blackcurrants. Books spilled off every shelf and surface.

  Walter, Mrs Fontana’s terrier, came trotting over as soon as Lauren walked inside. ‘Hi, boy,’ Lauren said, bending down to pat him. As she straightened up, she saw that the old lady had appeared, as if by magic. Mrs Fontana’s face was lined and wrinkled but her blue eyes shone out, bright and clear. She had a mustard-yellow shawl clasped loosely around her shoulders and her long grey hair was pinned up in a bun.

  ‘Hello, Lauren,’ she said. ‘What can I do for you today?’

  Lauren hesitated. It was so hard to launch straight into a discussion about unicorns in broad daylight. ‘Well… er…’

  Mrs Fontana looked over her shoulder to where a couple of people were browsing along a bookshelf. ‘Come down to the children’s section,’ she said softly. ‘Walter will tell me if I’m needed.’